Chapter 19 Sister Feng's "vulgarity", the most fashionable young woman in the Red Chamber

People who have watched "A Dream of Red Mansions" always think that Lin Daiyu and Wang Xifeng are synonymous with one elegant and the other vulgar, Daiyu is extremely elegant, and Sister Feng is extremely vulgar.Many readers felt that the author's description of her had already set the tone as soon as Wang Xifeng appeared on the stage: Before I finished a word, I only heard someone laughing in the backyard, saying: "I am late, and I have never greeted distant guests!" Daiyu Nahan said: "These people all hold their voices and hold their breath, so solemn and solemn, this visitor Who is it that is so disrespectful?" When thinking to himself, he saw a group of daughters-in-law and maids surrounding a person coming in from the back door.This person is dressed differently from other girls: colorful embroidery is brilliant, like a concubine or fairy.He wears a golden silk bun with eight treasures and pearls on his head, a beaded hairpin tied with five phoenixes in the morning sun, a red gold plate chi Yingluo circle on his neck, a bean green palace sash tied around his skirt, a double balance and a rose pendant, and he wears a sash Jin Baidie wears a narrow girdle jacket of bright red foreign satin with flowers, and is covered with a multicolored engraved stone green and silver mouse jacket; under it is a foreign crepe skirt sprinkled with emerald flowers.A pair of Danfeng triangular eyes, two curved willow-leaf hanging eyebrows, slender stature and coquettish physique.Flour noodles contain spring power without revealing, and red lips are heard before they smile.

Sister Feng's appearance is to hear her voice before she sees her.The description of her image is from head to toe, meticulous and exhaustive. The moment Wang Xifeng appears on the stage, she is the image of a rich and gorgeous lady with brilliant colors and embroidery.In the book, all the descriptions of Wang Xifeng's clothes are usually bright red and green, bright and eye-catching. It can be seen that Wang Xifeng has a very flamboyant personality, and she will always focus the spotlight of the stage on herself.Many people said that Wang Xifeng's attire, wearing gold and jade, was too vulgar.Judging from the simple and elegant trend that is popular today, it does look rustic, but the stories in the book cannot be separated from the background of the story. If you go back two hundred years, Wang Xifeng's dress is not only not gaudy, but also very fashionable.

We all know that the two major colors in "A Dream of Red Mansions" are red and green.The Xiaoxiang Pavilion where Lin Daiyu lives is full of green bamboos, which are green in color, while the Xiaying gauze pasted on the windows is in silver-red color, which complements the red and green.There are few descriptions of Lin Daiyu's attire in the book. The only positive description of Lin Daiyu's attire in the first eighty chapters is in the forty-ninth chapter.Among them, there are detailed descriptions of each person's attire.What kind of clothes does sister Lin in the article wear? "Daiyu put on gold and cloud red fragrant sheepskin boots, covered a crane cloak with a big red feather gauze and white fox fur, and tied a blue and gold glittering satin double-ring four-fold wishful ribbon." There are still red, green and gold. , very rich.You can't say that Lin Daiyu's clothes are vulgar, can you?Lin Daiyu is Cao Xueqin's favorite character, the lover in his heart, and he must give her the most beautiful colors. It is certain that the author loves red and green very much.Especially red is the main color of "Dream of Red Mansions". Before the completion of the Grand View Garden, Jia Baoyu named his house "Jiangyunxuan". "Yuan" is red again. The Qian in the "Qian screen window" in the Grand View Garden also means red. The Qian Xiang Luo presented by Jiang Yuhan to Jia Baoyu is a big red belt. The rouge and blush in girls' daily life are inseparable from red, which shows that Red is synonymous with beauty.

Of course, there are Red School Suoyin sects who believe that this is a symbol of Cao Xueqin's rebellion against the Qing Dynasty and restoration of the Ming Dynasty.The surname of the Ming Dynasty was Zhu, and "Zhu" was synonymous with "red". Jia Baoyu loved red, so he can be regarded as a supporter of the Ming Dynasty.Some people even regard Jia Baoyu and Wang Xifeng in the book as two political forces, one righteous and one evil: Jia Baoyu represents the Zhu Ming Dynasty, and Wang Xifeng represents the Manchu Qing Dynasty... This kind of argument is really evil. Both Jia Baoyu and Cao Xueqin are considered Manchus. Wouldn’t it be against himself to oppose the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty?If we infer from this: "red" is connected with "Zhu", "green" is connected with "Qing", and the love of red is a follower of the Ming Dynasty, so should Daiyu, who loves turquoise, be a follower of the Qing Dynasty?And is Wang Xifeng, who likes red clothes and green skirts, a double-faced man in the Ming and Qing dynasties?If you insist on saying this, it will become more and more like "full of nonsense"!

In fact, the red and green colors in the book are the representatives of nature, red is synonymous with all flowers, green is the representative of grass and flowing water, green trees and beauties are the most beautiful scenery in the Grand View Garden.And Sister Feng's scarlet satin narrow jacket and emerald flowered crepe skirt are both red and green. This is not only a popular color in the Grand View Garden, but also has another meaning: Sister Feng is a cosmetic leader. In the book, in Baoyu's eyes, red is the color of love, and ordinary people are not worthy of wearing it.If a girl is not beautiful, wearing red clothes is a waste.Some people think this mentality is too strange, why is Jia Baoyu so narcissistic?In fact, such a description also has historical origins.

In the Ming Dynasty, various laws and regulations were extremely strict, and there were also regulations on the dress of ordinary people. The so-called untouchables were the general poor class. They could only wear green cloth and plain clothes. Only the royal family and nobles could wear red, green, golden and other colors.Common people can wear light blue and light blue colors, and they must be made of cotton. Wearing silk or other prohibited colors is considered illegal, and severe punishments, even the death penalty, will be imposed.When you put on golden silk and satin, maybe someone will dare to accuse you of treason immediately, which is quite scary!In the Qing Dynasty, although these tyrannical policies were eased, they basically continued. Especially in the early Qing Dynasty, the customs and habits of the common people were preserved and continued.In the second year of Yongzheng, the government also stipulated the ban on official and civilian clothing: "Xuanhu, yellow, beige, and fragrant colors have long been prohibited from being worn by officials and civilians. Anyone who violates the law will be punished." At that time, clothing was not only a need for beauty , but also a status symbol.Therefore, Xue Baochai, who doesn't like makeup and prefers simple and elegant clothes, "looks like nothing" in the eyes of Jiamu.

Therefore, in order to please Baoyu, Xiren always dressed in red and green and refused to leave his body, which itself was a symbol of pursuing status.And Sister Feng appeared in a red coat and green skirt, which shows that she has an extraordinary demeanor and extraordinary temperament.In such an era, unmarried girls should dress delicately and cutely, so as to show their delicacy, while the young daughter-in-law after marriage must dress up and make up, because she reflects the demeanor of her husband's family. If the clothes are plain and simple, it will not only lose the face of the mother's family, but also lose the face of the husband's family.In the fifty-first chapter, Xiren's mother is critically ill and goes home to visit her. Before leaving, Sister Feng personally inspects her clothes:

... The Xiren wear came, and the two maids and Zhou Rui's family took the stove and the clothes bag.Sister Feng saw that Xiren was wearing a few gold hairpins and pearls on his head, which was gorgeous; he also saw that he was wearing a peach red silver mouse jacket in carved silk, a light green plate gold embroidered cotton skirt, and a blue satin squirrel coat outside.Sister Feng said with a smile: "These three clothes are all rewarded by your wife, which is good. But this gown is too plain, and it's cold in it now. You should wear a big woolen one." The attacker laughed and said, "Madam." I only gave it to the squirrel, and there is another one for the ermine. It is said that I will give it to the big hair next year, and I haven’t got it yet." Sister Feng laughed and said: "I have a big hair, I think it looks too good. It’s not good, I’m about to change it. Forget it, I’ll give it to you first. I’ll make it when my wife makes it for you next year, just as if you returned it to me.” Everyone laughed: “Grandma used to say this Words. The adult family is extravagant, and they don’t know how much money they have paid for their wife behind their backs. They really paid so much that they can’t tell. How can they count it with their wife? But now (the son) is saying such mean things again.” Sister Feng smiled. Said: "The madam thinks about this. After all, this is not a serious matter. If I don't take care of it, it is everyone's face. It may be said that I have suffered some losses and dressed everyone up. I would rather have a good name. One looks like It's like a 'burnt paper'. People first laughed at me, saying that I was in charge, but I turned people into a flower." After hearing this, everyone sighed and said, "Who is so wise like grandma! He is considerate of his wife at the top, but hurts at the bottom. Take care of me."

On the one hand, I saw Sister Feng ordering Ping'er: "Take out the eight-packed celestial horse leather jacket with stone and blue silk carvings yesterday, and give it to Xiren."Looking at the bundle, I had to look at a bundle made of elastic ink flower silk and water red silk, which contained only two (half) old cotton satin jackets and leather jackets.Sister Feng ordered Ping'er to take out a bundle of duoluo cloth in jade-colored silk, and ordered Ping'er to wrap it in a snow gown. Although Xiren is a maid, she has much better food and clothing than ordinary people in ordinary families. Moreover, Xiren is Baoyu's concubine appointed by Mrs. Wang, so her living standard must meet her status in every way.A peach-red ermine jacket in silk, emerald green embroidered cotton skirt, and a blue satin squirrel jacket. If a girl was born into an ordinary family, she might not be lucky enough to wear such clothes for the rest of her life.But Wang Xifeng, who is in charge of the family, is still dissatisfied. She knows very well that the return of the attacker to her natal family represents the face of the Jia family. Even if it is a concubine, the packaging must not be sloppy.

Lian Xiren is like this, let alone Wang Xifeng, the young mistress of the Jia family?Mother Jia is an old lady who likes grandeur, but also has a very high level of art appreciation and aesthetic taste. Mother Jia has trained her daughters, granddaughters, granddaughters, nieces and granddaughters all with elegant tastes. If Sister Feng is really a person with vulgar aesthetic taste, how can she Can you win Jiamu's favor?Sister Feng is not a widow like Li Wan, she must have a plain face and light makeup, otherwise, in Li Wan's case it is chastity, but in Sister Feng she does not know the rules.Therefore, Sister Feng must be charming and charming, otherwise, wouldn't she lose the face of the rich family?From the perspective of the time, Sister Feng's taste was not only good, but also very elegant!